WE ROAR Magazine issue 04 - Magazine - Page 49
like me, as a young women this was incredibly
difficult to deal with on top of the insecurities we all
feel anyway. How do we change it? We make sure
that we are sat at the same table as the
conversations, making sure that representation is
intersectional, diverse and accurate in reflection of the
diversity of our world. We have to break down the
perceptions around what 8normality9 is and looks like.
Do you feel there is a wide range of disabled
models? If not, how we can change that?
Again, there are some incredible Disabled models
out there changing the game and agencies such as
Zebedee are really trailblazing a future. But again,
Disability is just not brought into conversation and
representation enough. We still have a long way to
go to reach accurate representation, and we all
have a role to play in pushing this through harder.
We have to be a part of the same tables of
conversation, tokenism is just not good enough, and
we have to represent all Disabilities and
Differences and not fall into the trap of projecting
stereotypical images.
You said to me that "Accessibility for ALL is
important." - why?
So often we fall into a trap about what accessibility
means. For example, a building having a ramp and
an accessible bathroom does not make it fully
accessible, and a website which is only screenreader compatible is not accessible. Accessibility,
by definition, means 8the quality of being as easy to
obtain or use as anybody else9. We cannot 8cookiecutter9 accessibility policies down to only certain
types of Disabilities; we have to be inclusive to
everyone and remember that lots of people have
intersectioning accessibility requirements that
overlap one another. What works for one person
might not work for another, so we have to ensure
we cover the full spectrum of policies and provide
remediation and support for individualism when
required. To not be accessible to all, is to deny
someone their basic human rights.
49
We also discussed how "not
hiding" is so important (when it's
safe to) and how being made to
feel like you have to hide, say your
disabilities or neurodiversity, in
order to feel valued is wrong. Can
you talk about this a bit more?
I
think
most
Disabled
and
neurodivergent
people
will
experience this feeling. I know
throughout my life I have 8masked9
who I am. At school, at work and as
a Founder, I was more 8trusted9 and
8taken more seriously9. This is
internalised ableism, where we
internalise the ableist thoughts of
the world and turn them on
ourselves, believing how we are
perceived to be true. Or we hide
ourselves because of fear of
judgement and repercussions. To
experience a feeling of needing to
hide who you are is soul-destroying,
never feeling free, and never feeling
valued, we cannot continue to
create a world of suppression and
fear, as these feelings carry with
you into the rest of your life. And
these feelings relate to other
elements of our identities, not just
Disability. Race, gender, religion…
Do we really want to live in a world
where people feel that who they are
is something to be hidden and
punished, to destroy someone9s
equity?
